The Right Boy For The Tale
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: An alternate first meeting between Ted and the Once-ler. Takes place during the 2012 movie.


**This idea came to me after I was watching the scene of Ted first meeting the Once-ler in the 2012 movie "The Lorax". That scene always makes me laugh. :) **

**Anywho, this is an alternate first meeting between the two. :) "The Lorax" belongs to Universal Studios and Dr. Seuss. I own nothing.**

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**The Right Boy For The Tale**

Ted swallowed as he walked up to the tall house, feeling the items that his grandmother had told him would be payment for a story about real trees moving slightly in his pocket with each step. He almost turned back, but his desire to impress Audrey returned and he stood straighter, going up to the door he saw at the side of the house. Spying the doorbell, he rang it.

The next thing he knew, he flew upwards before something caught the back of his shirt. Looking up to see it was a claw, he suddenly felt himself being thrown up into the air again and the claw caught him again by clamping around both his ankles before pulling him closer to the boarded-up window, which seemed to open like a giant mouth as the planks slid upwards and downwards at the same time, providing room for the claw to bring the boy inside the room.

Dangling upside down, Ted tried to right himself, but felt something clamp over his arms, keeping them pinned to his sides. The fifteen cents, the nail, and the snail fell out of his pocket as a result, but moments later, a green hand caught the items. The snail seemed to smile in relief as seeing he wasn't going to hit the ground as he looked up to see who had rescued him. Ted glanced up to, wondering what the Once-ler looked like.

A man was sitting in the chair in front of the boy and he was rather tall, though it was hard to tell how tall since he was sitting down. He wore a green suit, a pink scarf-like item around his neck, a tall green hat, and green gloves. He had short white hair and a moustache that was also white, indicating his age. The man gazed at the coins, nail, and snail in his hand, looking up at the boy with eyes that were sharp as a hawk's eyes and the boy gulped, looking at the man with wide eyes.

"Who told you about the payment to hear a story?"

The voice that came out of the man was gruff and stern, making Ted flinch a little. The eyes continued staring at him. "Well?" The old man asked, waiting for an answer.

The boy took a deep breath. "My grandma," he said truthfully before deciding to bravely ask the question on his mind. "I guess you're the Once-ler?"

The eyes narrowed, giving Ted his answer. "Only those that are stupid or foolish come here seeking me," he said. "And I deal with them accordingly."

Ted didn't like the sound of that and took another deep breath. "Um, how?" He asked.

The Once-ler leaned forward and looked at the boy, who flinched slightly as the old man stared at him for a bit before leaning back. "Well, you look too bright to be stupid, so I'm ruling that out as the reason you came and you're young, so I'm ruling out foolish." He paused. "You want to impress someone. A girl, I take it?"

The tone the man's voice took made Ted flush in embarrassment that he had been found out. "Well, yeah," he said. "But...I was also wondering if the story about trees had to do with the land outside. It looks...so different than in Thneedville."

Once-ler sat up sharply. "You're from Thneedville?" He asked sharply.

Ted winced. "Um...yes?"

The old man looked at him before gazing down at the payment in his hand, setting them aside after a moment with a sigh, reaching over to a lever at his left and pulling it down before pressing a button beside it. The robotic arms that held the boy released him and he hit the floor lightly, sitting up after a moment before feeling something tap his arm and he saw it was a gold-topped cane. The green glove holding it told him who it belonged to. "Come here," the old man said, gesturing him closer, his voice still a bit gruff.

The twelve-year-old stepped closer, stopping a couple feet from the Once-ler, who reached out and grabbed his arm. "Hey!" Ted cried out as he was pulled closer, the old man's grip being too strong to escape from.

"Have a seat, boy," he said, pulling a ottoman closer with his cane so that it was resting at his feet, gently forcing the boy to sit down. "I expect you to listen carefully."

Ted cocked his head to the side. "Um, okay?" He said. "If you don't like intruders, why are you having me stay?"

Once-ler cocked an eyebrow at him. "You came all the way from a place that has everything you need and you brought the proper payment," he said before sighing. "So as a general rule, you get what you paid for."

The boy fell silent as he heard the man sigh. "You're actually the first one to bring me the proper payment," he said, his voice less gruff now. "And I didn't think snails could survive in town."

"I found him in my backyard," Ted said. "I...I guess he found a way."

Once-ler hummed thoughtfully before looking at the boy again. "You really want to hear the story just to impress a girl? Or are you serious about wanting to know more about trees and what happened to the wasteland you traveled through?"

The boy took a deep breath. "I want to impress her and I'm serious about learning more about trees. My grandmother remembers them and the girl I like wants to see one." He paused a moment. "Is it true that they are soft and have a unique smell?"

At this question, he saw the Once-ler smile a little. "Hmm, perhaps you are the right boy for the tale," he said. "Do an old man a favor and fetch us some tea. The kettle's about to whistle."

At that moment, a whistle filled the air and Ted got up, taking the kettle off the stove and seeing two cups with teabags in them. Getting some spoons from a drawer, he poured the hot water into the cups, the sweet smell of the berry tea filling the room as he carried them over to the old man, who nodded and gestured to a nearby table that had a jar of honey on it. "Set them here and put some honey in the tea," he said. "It'll make for a nice drink."

The boy did as he was told, handing the old man one of the cups and the Once-ler breathed in the aroma of the tea before taking a sip, sighing in content. "Ah, that hit the spot," he said with a nod before nodding to the boy. "Now, have a seat and I'll tell you the story."

Ted sat down, focused on the old man as he began the tale.

_One week later..._

Ted drove up to the Once-ler's house, a bag on his arm as he walked up to the door, which opened just as he was about to knock. "Come in, Ted. I've been expecting you," Once-ler said, a smile on his face.

The boy smiled and entered, placing the bag on the table. "I got you some more of that berry tea and some honey," he said.

"Ah, thank you," the old man said gratefully. "Tell me, how is the little Truffula tree?"

"It's growing well," Ted said with a smile. "Audrey and I water it every day and people seem to take time out of their day to gaze at it."

The Once-ler smiled and nodded. "Perhaps I'll venture into town and see it for myself sometime," he said.

The boy smiled again. "Thanks for trusting me with it," he said.

The old man placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Thank you for being the right boy for me to tell the tale of the trees to," he said. "Now come, let's enjoy some tea."

Ted nodded, getting the tea ready as Once-ler sat down, letting out a content sigh that thanks to a young brave boy, the old man could now hopefully redeem himself for his past mistakes.

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**GoldGuardian2418 **


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